Nike goes home DEVASTATED

A shoe doesn't make the runner.

Running races are now a contest between shoes. They used to be contests between people.

Nike is losing in sponsored runners ( especially distance) they have a failing Union Track Club and Failing Bowerman Track Club

Their flagship group (NN Running Team) had a tough spring marathon cycle. In Rotterdam, Abdi Nageeye ran great but otherwise their better results were in XC.

Also Rosa also had a rough one today, though Timothy Kiplagat was quite good in Tokyo. But Mutiso likely bumped him for the last Kenyan spot. The winner in Tokyo Kebede was wearing Nikes. I tend to think the shoe differences are marginal at this point and we are talking about training/race execution at this point.

Is Capriotti really getting this bad ? With there Leo groups bombing WTF is going on

Cap is gone and someone new is responsible for this really bad pro team situation. Cap would have never allowed it to get this bad. Love him or hate him Cap did a great job

I think you could have said that 5 years ago when the vaporfly was the only game in town but these days everyone has a relatively comparable super shoe. (Except poor Des and CJ)

the AAAP Evo might really be better for elites, despite what the shoetubers think.

But obviously the biggest factor is the loss of Kiptum and Kipchoges age

Yeah this is actually the reality. It was the same when the brand was dominating every major 'thon 4-5 years ago, and it was the same when adidas was dominating every major 'thon 6-10 years ago.

I think in general there is far more luck to this than we understand. Sometimes brands are just right place right time with a group of athletes and it's actually hard to have product that is a detriment to those groups because honestly all brands products are fundamentally the same (lightweight, high cushion, high rebound, stiff shoes).

The best "RPRT" came with Nike and Kipchoge who was really the reason the whole breaking 2 program was a success. And look at his credentials - he's on the all-time Mt Rushmore of distance running talent.

Right now Adi has lucked into the best talent - especially on the women's side, the same way Nike were lucky and then unlucky with the tragic Kiptum circumstances. All cyclical and all very random, trust me.

These running shoe companies copy each others technology so all the shoes are on a level playing field now, there is no longer an advantage wearing a particular brand of shoe.

It's exactly this.

How much difference do we really believe is between each brands top shoes?

The foams in these shoes are all fundamentally the same - it's some kind of nitrogen-infused super critical foam whether its a PEBAX base material, PEBA, or some other type of TPEE. Every brand has some "exclusive" supplier but it's all the same stuff.

The process is also the same - autoclave sheets of the base material and then compression mold it. The only difference right now is adidas with the EVO pro shoe who don't do the last step but just mill the midsoles as the compression process increases weight and reduces some resiliency, but all their other "pro" shoes are manufactured the same.

Then you have something to make what would ordinarily be a very soft and overly flexible midsole stiff. Almost everyone uses a nylon plate with some carbon fiber powder in it (so they can call it a "carbon plate" and make shoe nerds and LRC message-board posters peenies stiff) - adidas has rods because they were afraid of being sued by Nike if they copied the plate.

The uppers are all the same - just different branding on them with no performance benefit at all.

And yes just as you said, when Nike was the only brand with this makeup of shoe they dominated. Now everyone follows this recipe they don't. Simple premise.

Nike’s two rounds of Alphafly 3s both sold out in minutes and now can only be purchased on secondary markets. Nike’s challenges relate to satisfying existing demand for these shoes; it has no problem selling them.

Has there been a top level athlete finishing near the top 5 wearing the AF3?

Kiptum broke the world record in them. Hassan ran the second-fastest women’s time in them.

Nop only the fastest man on earth Kiptum and Assan with the second fastest marathon in history.

Both Kiptum and Hassan wore them in Chicago.

I think the fact that so many people know what shoes these people are wearing to win their races, and actually care is another reason why the sport of distance running is now completely irrelevant.

Rodgers wore the same Tiger BR whatevers for years. We are no longer worthy.

Big wins for the $500 shoe that nobody can buy!